I recently received a book review from Expat Info Desk:
"Home Keeps Moving - A Glimpse into the Extraordinary Life or a Third
Culture Kid" by Heidi Sand-Hart takes a look at the how the pressures
of living overseas can impact the lives of children and serves as a
vehicle through which Third Culture Kids can deal with their emotions.
Based on Sand-Hart’s own experiences of living overseas as a child,
the book openly shares some of the frustrations and confusions that she
felt as she tried to deal with life in a foreign country. In very simple
terms she explains her own journey and experiences and uses them as a
means of helping children to understand some of the emotions they may
feel as Third Culture Kids and how they can deal with them. Throughout
the book she interlaces excerpts that have been written by other
expatriate children as they too share details of their experiences
growing up abroad..."
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I received a wonderful book review from the American Women's Club of Hamburg, to be included in their magazine, CURRENTS. This is from the April 2011 edition.
(click to enlarge)
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I was recently interviewed by the Expat Woman magazine "YOU!" about growing up as a "global nomad". 24,000 copies are printed and circulated in Dubai alone. April 2011 issue.
(Click on the photo to enlarge the article.)
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- Book review from Grace magazine, May 2011 issue.
-- Note that I do not have a Swedish mother and a Sri Lankan father!! Funny how mixed up things can get in a book review sometimes!!********************************
To read the latest HKM book review in Destinations magazine, March 2011 edition Click here
(it's on page 50...use the scroll down menu!)
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Review by Mary Langford, from IS magazine (European Council of International Schools). Taken from IS magazine, Spring 2011, Vol 13 issue 2.
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Reviewed by Cheryl Skupa; Taken from "Among Worlds (Third Culture Kids) magazine" - Dec 2010 edition.
For more articles, go to: http://connect-int.org/connectionsissue30.html
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Taken from Norway - the official site in the UK
Norwegian-Finnish author with expat autobiography
"‘Home Keeps Moving’ by Heidi Sand-Hart tackles, according to its author; “the struggles and challenges faced by cross-cultural individuals trying to grasp an understanding of who they are and how they fit into their current society.” Sand-Hart, whose parents..."
keep reading
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Interview: TCK Author Heidi Sand-Hart
Posted by admin on 11/16/10 Taken from: While Abroad
Heidi Sand-Hart was a missionary kid who spent the majority of her childhood moving from one exotic location to another. Like all TCKs she struggled to find a sense of belonging and a place to call home. The most tangible results of her struggles is the book Home Keeps Moving, which serves as an homage to the global nomadic lifestyle and all the good and bad that goes with it. It is an honest, moving book that encourages all TCKs to do the hard work necessary to find their sense of belonging in the world.
Heidi was interviewed by Susan Adkins, a freelance writer for Parenting While Abroad.
You write very honestly about your experiences as a TCK. What made you decide that this was a book you had to write?
Basically it came about as a result of my search for more personal literature on the topic of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and the discovery that there were hardly any books out there. I started processing my own TCK journey more than 10 years ago and begun writing Home Keeps Moving then. The task was too overwhelming at the time but as I’ve gotten older, I have realised how exciting, colourful and unique my own childhood was and the desire to share that with others has progressively grown.
What is the main message that you hope readers get from your book?
It is my hope that people with traditional upbringings will understand TCKs a little better and that I play a little part in giving validation to my fellow TCKs (in many ways, a forgotten tribe). I hope TCKs will realise that it’s okay to have an unusual upbringing and not know where we come from or belong! There are many positives to be gained from a cross-cultural upbringing but I‘ve had to convince people of that fact over the years (and still do). Many people expect TCKs to have roots planted the same way as them (in one house, city or country) and view our restlessness as a sign of weakness. I disagree completely. The same logic applied would be to tell someone who has lived in one place their whole life to “move to the opposite side of the planet and relocate every year or two forever”…I can’t see too many reacting positively to that suggestion so why should it work the other way around?
How has your family reacted to this book?
Very positively – my family is incredibly proud of my achievement and my parents are currently distributing Home Keeps Moving in Finland for me. They encouraged me while I was writing it and have been fantastically supportive. My brother Ben provided me with a brilliant contribution for the book and is a very proud older brother.
How has faith played a role in your work and in your writing?
A lot of thought went into how my opinions would come across to the reader and I suppose that was predominantly because I didn’t want to offend people. I made a great effort to take ownership for my views and tried to convey them clearly. My faith helped drive me on in difficult times and gave me the self-belief I needed.
If you could recommend one thing adults can do to ease a child’s transition during a move abroad, what would it be?
Include them in the decision-making process…let them know that their feelings are important and allow them to speak freely. Encourage them to talk openly and focus on the many positives of living abroad whether they be beach holidays, eating out more or camel rides in the desert.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
I learnt how hard it is to write a book!! That finishing your manuscript is just the beginning – the process is long, difficult and requires a lot of mental energy and patience.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
I touched on it earlier…trying to weed out the potential of people misunderstanding me. Being ultra careful to clearly communicate my point and hopefully not offend people in the process! I didn’t want to come across as “preachy” but simply share how life has been from my perspective. It is a very hard balance to obtain. It was also difficult being open and vulnerable, knowing that I was granting the world access to my soul. I worried about how it would be received and still cringe every now and then but I think if you’re going to write your story, it has to come from your heart.
Your husband grew up in a New Zealand suburb. How have his experiences and childhood memories changed your perspective of your own life as a TCK?
It hasn’t changed my perspectives of my own TCK upbringing as much as acutely highlight the differences. It’s nice to see the security and enjoyment that my husband gets from having a very stable upbringing – his mum still lives in the same house – and he is constantly in touch with his childhood friends. I suppose some TCKs could be saddened by the losses or feel jealous by such stability but Paul & I have shared many conversations about the differences and what that means for us as a couple. I am just as secure in my “uprooted” upbringing as he is in his traditional one...
Continue reading: here
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Book Review: Home Keeps Moving
"The author’s life as a child of missionary parents may seem like the fulfillment of a traveler’s dream. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that although Heidi Sand-Hart found her frequent overseas moves to be enriching and sometimes exhilarating, she was also left with a pervasive sense of loneliness and a confused cultural identity.
Home Keeps Moving is an exploration of Heidi’s past. It evaluates the effects that her nomadic upbringing has had on her adult life. Her reflections range from a light-hearted checklist on how to tell if one is a third culture kid (a good indicator is having a passport but not a driver’s license) to a heartbreaking recollection of a thoughtless individual on another continent throwing away her birth certificate, teddy bear and baby clothes.
The author seems to come to a certain peace with her history by the end of the book. She and her husband continue her parents’ work of helping the world’s less fortunate, a lifestyle that involves frequent relocations..."
Read full review here.
*** Book Review by Jennifer Reischel, taken from: Enter Singapore
Home Keeps Moving
By Heidi Sand-Hart
McDougal Publishing 2010
"You own two or more passports. You boarded airplanes before you could walk. And you feel strange surrounded solely by ethnic majorities. If any of these statements ring a bell, you may well be a part of the third culture kids (TCK) phenomenon. Home keeps moving is the penned memoir of a childhood spanning continents, languages, school systems and multi-cultural friendships.
Heidi Sand-Hart’s journey is a touchingly personal account, and yet she stands as a universal voice for all of us who as youngsters knew more about training maids in the Far East than the latest MTV video clips. Combining diary format style writing with chapter headings on specific issues connected to the TCK syndrome generally works well, and is useful when wishing to refer back to certain observations at a later point in time..."
Continue reading: Enter Singapore
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Taken from: Examiner
Third culture kids and home keeps moving
Photo: Courtesy of Heidi Sand-Hart
Looking for a book about third culture kids based on personal experience? In Home Keeps Moving, Heidi Sand-Hart shares her experience as a third culture kid. She wrote about how her life as a third culture kid and discusses issues many third culture kids face such as finding a sense of belonging and her search for a home. I asked her some questions:
Examiner: Trick question: Where are you from?
Everywhere and nowhere! My father is Norwegian, my mother Finnish, I was born in England and grew up in India, England and Norway. My parents met in London while working with the Asian community so my brothers and I were always surrounded by multiple nationalities and languages. Since leaving home, I have lived in USA, Canada, UK, Thailand and New Zealand (thus far!) and I’m now married to a New Zealander.
Examiner: How has being a TCK impacted your life? (positively and negatively)
Being a TCK has molded most aspects of my life. It was only when I became an ATCK that I realised the full extent of how I had been "ruined for the ordinary". By having such an exciting and varied upbringing, I struggle to find my place in this world and settle anywhere for more than a year or two. I feel like I am always passing through and don't perhaps commit as much as I could at times, to my current surroundings. Yet I love the knowledge gained and the ability to feel "at home" in the most bizarre corners of the globe; the ability to adapt quickly and relate to different cultures in an appropriate way. I have a strong desire to see more of this beautiful world and help as much as I can. There are so many positives to take from a TCK upbringing and if given the chance, I wouldn't change it for anything...
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Book Review: "Home Keeps Moving - A Glimpse into the Extraordinary Life or a Third Culture Kid"
Growing up is never easy – and there’s no shortage of literature aimed at analysing the finer points of teenage angst or determining what makes children tick and tock during those pivotal years of early development. But about when these challenges are compounded by the pressures of moving and living abroad?
The phenomenon of so-called Third Culture Kids (TCKs) is increasingly common in our globalised world, yet little writing hones in on the specific concerns of the nomadic tribes of children that have been uprooted and moved abroad, often multiple times and to multiple destinations, by their parents during their formative years of development.
Heidi Sand-Hart looks to give these Third Culture Kids a tool that they can use to relate and empathize with in her book “Home Keeps Moving”. Sand-Hart is a TCK herself, and and her autobiographical account invites others to validate their experiences and understand their own muddled emotions.
As the child of missionaries, a Norwegian father and a Finnish mother, she uses her many moves from England to India - with a touch of Norway in between - as an elongated illustration of the unique characteristics TCKs often develop and the frustrations they struggle to keep at bay.
In simple language she maps out her own journey across the big bad world, allowing her audience to stop at signposts and take note of the direction that she believes TCKs are often unknowingly wandering in: this way for difficulty in dealing with the abstraction of “home”, that way toward the complexities of calculating “loss”, and straight on ‘til morning toward the slow, creeping sense of grief that many battle to overcome.
Interlaced throughout the work are excerpts contributed by other Third Culture Kids who, using their hard-won hindsight, shed some light on the many skirmishes they fought with having such a mobile lifestyle during childhood, and what happened when it was time to make their own decisions about the future.
Sand-Hart doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, and she certainly isn’t an author that force-feeds her audience opinions they’d be hard-pressed to swallow. Rather, she’s incredibly open and honest about her own emotions, and in being so, from time to time the book takes on a self-reflective and confessional quality. This is particularly evident in the reactions she had to a life that was specific to missionary children, an element that seems to have inspired a great moral dilemma and a delayed period of “rebellion”.
Some Third Culture Children may not be able to identify with these particular issues, but otherwise, she paints her own picture in the soft but helpful light of subjectivity, and helps others to take up a brush of their own....
Read the full review at: http://www.expatarrivals.com/
The phenomenon of so-called Third Culture Kids (TCKs) is increasingly common in our globalised world, yet little writing hones in on the specific concerns of the nomadic tribes of children that have been uprooted and moved abroad, often multiple times and to multiple destinations, by their parents during their formative years of development.
Heidi Sand-Hart looks to give these Third Culture Kids a tool that they can use to relate and empathize with in her book “Home Keeps Moving”. Sand-Hart is a TCK herself, and and her autobiographical account invites others to validate their experiences and understand their own muddled emotions.
As the child of missionaries, a Norwegian father and a Finnish mother, she uses her many moves from England to India - with a touch of Norway in between - as an elongated illustration of the unique characteristics TCKs often develop and the frustrations they struggle to keep at bay.
In simple language she maps out her own journey across the big bad world, allowing her audience to stop at signposts and take note of the direction that she believes TCKs are often unknowingly wandering in: this way for difficulty in dealing with the abstraction of “home”, that way toward the complexities of calculating “loss”, and straight on ‘til morning toward the slow, creeping sense of grief that many battle to overcome.
Interlaced throughout the work are excerpts contributed by other Third Culture Kids who, using their hard-won hindsight, shed some light on the many skirmishes they fought with having such a mobile lifestyle during childhood, and what happened when it was time to make their own decisions about the future.
Sand-Hart doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, and she certainly isn’t an author that force-feeds her audience opinions they’d be hard-pressed to swallow. Rather, she’s incredibly open and honest about her own emotions, and in being so, from time to time the book takes on a self-reflective and confessional quality. This is particularly evident in the reactions she had to a life that was specific to missionary children, an element that seems to have inspired a great moral dilemma and a delayed period of “rebellion”.
Some Third Culture Children may not be able to identify with these particular issues, but otherwise, she paints her own picture in the soft but helpful light of subjectivity, and helps others to take up a brush of their own....
Read the full review at: http://www.expatarrivals.com/
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Oscar Book review: 'Home Keeps Moving' by Heidi Sand-Hart
Reviewed by Carol Kingston-Smith
Home keeps moving. A glimpse into the extraordinary life of a “Third Culture Kid” by Heidi Sand-Hart is an engaging narrative of a 1980’s child-hood spent negotiating several different countries and the attendant array of cultures, homes, schools and relationships. Heidi, a “missionary kid” (MK), with parents from different European countries, weaves perceptions and reflections of her own experience in a kaleidoscope world of changing realities in and out of contributions from other “Third Culture Kids” (TCK’s). As Ruth E.van Reken, co-author of Third Culture Kids: Growing up among Worlds, helpfully points out in her forward to Heidi’s book; the TCK experience is one which has resonance and meaning in a rapidly globalising world, where mobility and cultural interchange has increasingly replaced static, monocultural lifestyles. Essentially, this is a book which presents the joys and challenges, frustrations and successes of lives and identities negotiated and re-negotiated in transit lounges, passport queues and baggage reclaim -those places which are neither here nor there but somewhere between worlds. I call this the territory of the expanding identity. As a TCK myself - albeit one with a far less complex history - I can readily identify with the issues Heidi raises: the mixed loyalties, the acceptance of difference (and the attendant anger and dismay at those who don’t), the restless search for identity, feelings of rootlessness and yes, there is also the undercurrent of tidal grief which ebbs and flows through memories and experiences and friendships come and gone. Heidi and others share their struggles of faith and are real about the questions and the rebellions as well as the potential strengths afforded by their “untraditional” childhoods. One catches a glimpse of both the potentials and the pains of identities forged in the fissures between times and places (and for some TCKs these are multiple). How these identities flourish, it seems to me, depends to what degree one can integrate an expanding identity and let go of ones idealised identities…however many they may be! To embrace the reality of our complex fusion of worlds and peoples, cultures and values and perceive ourselves, not as “broken reflections” but rather as part of an expanding representation of what it means to be human is perhaps the deepest gift a TCK has to receive and make sense of. It is, as such, a gift to be shared; a gift of grace in a globalised world where increasingly integrity and wisdom are needed to negotiate the kaleidoscope of hybrid identities. Heidi points us towards that path of grace and suggests that yes, it is possible to live fruitfully in the expanded middle, beyond the boundaries yet within them. If you listen deeply you may hear the subconscious plea which many TCK’s carry, in the words of a well known TCK, Salman Rushdie, “For God’s sake, open the universe a little more!”....
Read full review at: Oscar
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Educare
SEPTEMBER
2010
New Books
Home Keeps Moving by Heidi Sand-Hart
Heidi’s experiences and insights struck a chord with me as they will for many readers. Born to Finnish and Norwegian parents who worked for Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in the UK and independently in India, she experienced so much that other TCKs can relate to. The book recounts her family’s many moves through the eyes of a TCK. She recounts how she was catapulted from continent to continent constantly, leaving friends and starting all over again, leaving her with an unquenchable search for a “home” and a sense of belonging somewhere. In her own words introducing the book
“Nothing about my upbringing was “normal”. I do not come from one country, but four. I have been to nine different schools, more than 42 countries (and counting) and my belongings are scattered across three different continents. My definition of “normal” strays about as far from the conventional mould as it possibly could…”
She currently lives in London with her Kiwi husband, Paul, and views herself as a citizen of the world.
We warmly recommend Heidi’s book to TCKs, their parents & other family members and anyone working with TCKs in international schools and agencies.
It can be bought either at http://www.amazon.co.uk/shops/heidisand-hart from the UK or at www.amazon.com for N America. Those outside of Amazon territory can order from homekeepsmoving@gmail.com via paypal. She also has a blog site at http://homekeepsmoving.blogspot.com/ with more information about her experiences and the background to the book.
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HKM Featured in Asiana Autumn Edition 2010!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
HKM mentioned in Jo Parfitt's guest post: From Sandals to Snowsuits
Before your four-year-old refuses to zip up his snowsuit and you endure the agony of watching him standing alone, cold and wet in the school playground, arm yourself with these books. I wish they had been there for us, when Sam and Josh were small too. www.joparfitt.com
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By Jo Parfitt
Author to Author interview with Heidi Sand-Hart, author of Home Keeps Moving
I came across Heidi’s memoir only two weeks ago. Home Keeps Moving is about how her life as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) and Missionary Kid (MK) has shaped her identity and affected her life in ways many find the words to describe. I was immediately impressed. Not many people in their twenties write books based on their lives. Many wait until their forties or beyond before they feel they have enough to say. But Heidi has plenty to say. This book is theory in action. It as, as the Families in Global Transition conference likes to say ‘where research comes to life’. Indeed, Heidi was inspired by the work of Ruth van Reken and Dave Pollock and their seminal book, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds.This TCK MK writes beautifully about her experiences as the child of Scandinavian parents, pingponging between England and India. By examining her own experiences on themes such as rootlessness, restlessness and unresolved grief she is frank about how life was for her.
I believe that any twenty or thirtysomething ATCK (that’s a TCK who became an adult) will find support and resonance here. Speaking as one who did not live abroad until I was an adult, I am in awe of her resilience and her objective accounts of a very unusual life. She is perceptive and her descriptions leap off the page.
Peppered by writings from her peers and the experts, this is a great companion to Ruth and Dave’s book. I admire Heidi, as someone whose education was ‘patchy’ as a result of her nomadic upbringing, to have been brave enough to put her words on paper and then fight to find a publisher. It is with pleasure that what follows is my recent interview with her:
HSH
My name is Heidi Sand-Hart and I am an Adult “Third Culture Kid” (TCK) who grew up in India, England and Norway. My father is Norwegian, my mother Finnish and they were missionaries in the UK and India, hence we moved a lot! I myself have done plenty of travelling and voluntary work, particularly in Asia. I currently live in London with my Kiwi husband.
JP
Tell me about your book. What is it about? Can you describe it in just a few
sentences? To show that a book has focus it is vital that it can be described
briefly and succinctly.
HSH
“Home Keeps Moving” tells the story of growing up in many worlds due to moving frequently throughout my childhood. It gives a lot of insight into the many struggles and challenges that “Third Culture Kids” face with constantly leaving friends, homes and their familiar surroundings – of those trying to grasp an understanding of who they are and how they fit into their current society.
JP
Why did you write “Home Keeps Moving”?
HSH
I actually started writing this book ten years ago but realised the task was too overwhelming for me at the time. As I’ve gotten older, I have realised how exciting, colourful and unique my own childhood was and I wanted to share that with others. Last autumn we returned to London from living in Thailand and I struggled to find a job…I realised the time was right to give this book another go.
JP
Why do you think your book needed to be written? What will your book do for other people?
HSH
In my search for more personal literature on the topic of cross-cultural upbringing and TCKs, I realised there were hardly any books out there. It is my hope that people with traditional upbringings will understand TCKs a little better through my book and I really wanted to give validation to my fellow TCKs. (in many ways, a forgotten tribe).
JP
Who do you think will read your book? What made you think that there was a market for it? Now that it’s been out for a while, what proof do you have that you were right?
HSH
In this global and transient age, I thought it was more important to have literature out there for people to grasp and empathise with TCKs, since cross-cultural living is becoming more common day by day. This topic is receiving far more exposure and media attention these days so I felt the timing was right. I have already received feedback that Home Keeps Moving has triggered thought and self-realisation in people.
JP
It does not matter how good a book is, or how good your writing is if no one knows about it. What steps have you taken or do you plan to take to promote your book? Are you a speaker or trainer? Do you have a blog? A website? A newsletter? Do you use Facebook, Twitter or other social media tools? What about press releases and sending out review copies and free articles? Have you had any other ideas? Which methods do you think work best and can you give me any examples?
HSH
I set up a blog at http://homekeepsmoving.blogspot.com/ and e-mail account ahead of the book’s release and joined all the social networking sites to create “hype”. I researched all the websites and magazines interested in TCKs specifically and targeted them, spreading the word. I have spent huge chunks of time doing viral marketing – sending out press releases and following up with phone calls. I have done a radio interview and have two more lined up. I’ve written articles for free which have been published by The Telegraph and other online magazines. I have approached major and local bookshops in the UK. I have asked Missions Agencies, Expats, Member care organisations and International Schools to help me promote the book by featuring it on their websites and in their publications. I have also sent out lots of complimentary review copies and am trying to get the book reviewed or mentioned in as many publications as possible.
JP
How did you publish your book? What was your route to publication?
HSH
As I was approaching the final stages of Home Keeps Moving, I started to send out sample manuscripts to publishers who had previously released books with a similar content. I also happened to have an acquaintance whose book on hot and cold climates (Foreign To Familiar by Sarah Lanier) was along similar lines to mine and she got me in touch with her publisher. I received my fair share of rejection letters and found the process extremely hard especially since many publishers refuse to accept unsolicited manuscripts and I didn’t want to go down the agent route. Luckily for me, Sarah Lanier helped open a door that might otherwise have remained closed.
JP
Self-belief can be a big problem for writers. How did you manage to stay confident in your ability and remember that you were good enough to write your book? How did you cope with the days when you thought you could not do it and that it was rubbish?
HSH
Those days continue to come and go, even now! I have to say that the support and encouragement received from close friends and family is what spurred me on. My husband patiently assisted me in editing and perfecting the book. For me, the main target was just to complete the book that had been hanging over my head for ten years and I tried not to rush ahead of myself too much and allow worries of not getting published to overshadow things. On the days that inspiration didn’t come, I didn’t push myself…I just tried to take it in my stride and monopolise the good days. As the release date approached, I became slightly anxious about how it would be received since I was “putting myself out there” – divulging personal stories and also opening up to possible criticism. I haven’t even read my book since it’s been published because I had to go over it so many times in the run up to printing!...
Read full interview at: Jo Parfitt's website
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The Telegraph Expat:
Home keeps moving
Serial expat Heidi Sand-Hart has been to more than 42 countries, and never stayed anywhere longer than four years. Here, she explains how her childhood instilled in her a love of travel and change.
Chiang Mai, Thailand, one of Heidi Sand-Hart's many homes, in 2009.
Born in Britain to a Finnish mother and Norwegian father, I guess you could say I was already dealing with three very different cultures right off the bat. My parents met while working with the Asian community in London but we continued to move frequently. From Derby to Norway to Sussex to London to India, I was constantly ready for the next big adventure, never fully accepted nor never truly an outsider. The question of where I belonged didn’t even emerge until I was much older, since as a child, you learn to adapt to whatever is thrown at you. It becomes your concept of “normal”.
While living in the UK, my parents were trying to hold onto their Scandinavian culture and traditions and yet allow my brothers and I to immerse ourselves in our country of birth, Britain. The only real “British” experience we had was at the multiple schools we attended and with some of our friends. We didn’t have the British traditions that my school friends had. We opened our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day, didn’t attend football games with our father, and probably had fish and chips monthly instead of weekly.
My parents’ work targeted the Indian community of Britain, so we grew up on curry and chapattis and were constantly surrounded by different languages and dialects. I suppose I felt a sense of connection with all the cultures I was surrounded by, but I was never 100 per cent “in” any of them.
I remember my school friends talking about going round to their nan's for tea and feeling a pang of jealousy, since my grandparents lived in Scandinavia and I couldn’t even communicate with them in their own language, let alone see them whenever I liked. And when the time came, I didn’t make any of their funerals since I was living on opposite sides of the world.
There is a term which I think expresses perfectly what I am - "Third Culture Kid” (TCK), someone who has spent much of their childhood years outside of the parents’ culture, who absorbs elements from lots of different countries and has a sense of belonging to those who have had similar experiences. (See Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds by David Pollock and Rquuth Van Reken.)
I lived in India for five of my formative years and it has left quite an impression on me. Seeing drastic poverty, beggars and inhumane living conditions at the tender age of six left its mark and made the sacrifices I’d made (western food and running hot water) seem quite insignificant. India proved to be one of the most colourful backdrops for any childhood, full of chaos, colour, noise, chillies, monkeys, vibrancy, monsoons, elephants and smiles. India is a land of immense beauty and it saddens me to see how often it is portrayed negatively, as if it is nothing more than the slums of Calcutta or Mumbai.
Travel well and truly forced its way into my bloodstream and I have continued to incorporate this transient lifestyle into my adulthood. Since leaving home, I have lived as an expat in America, Canada, Thailand, India and New Zealand, being anything from a secretary to an orphanage volunteer. I have been to more than 42 countries (and counting) and never stayed anywhere for more than four years.
I am constantly seeking out new excuses and opportunities to live overseas. Having experienced such a colourful and varied childhood, I struggle to accept that life must be lived simply vegetating in one corner of the globe. Travel opens, challenges, and broadens mindsets and in that respect, Third Culture Kids are rich individuals indeed. I have gained an appreciation for other countries: their cultures, people, customs... what makes them unique. There is so much to see and be learned from other cultures, and for me, experience is the best form of education.
For me the grass always seems greener on the other side. I tend to glorify the future, cling to the past and have trouble ever really settling into the present. I let my mind wander to the vibrant, bold and warm when all that surrounds me is grey, dull and dreary.
I often get asked when I’ll “settle down and get a real job” but for me, the road is my home. London is currently where I reside but “home” is where my family are… it is anywhere and everywhere. I have grown accustomed to the adrenalin that flows with packing up one country in exchange for another, traversing from West to East and leaving for the excitement of the unknown.
I think deep down inside, we all know it will be the things we failed to do that will haunt us on our deathbeds and I intend to go with a smile on my face, thinking of the sun rising over the Himalayas, drinking tea with the Bedouins of Jordan, snorkelling in the Perhentian Islands, riding camels in the Sahara desert, seeing lightning storms over Mount Bromo in Indonesia, the invigoration of leaping from a boiling sauna into a freezing cold lake, walking The Great Wall of China and riding off from my wedding on an elephant's back into the Kerala night.
Heidi Sand-Hart's memoir, Home Keeps Moving, is available on amazon.co.uk, or can be ordered directly at homekeepsmoving@gmail.com.
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Amazon Reviews:
Insightful Read, 21 Sep 2010
I remember my school friends talking about going round to their nan's for tea and feeling a pang of jealousy, since my grandparents lived in Scandinavia and I couldn’t even communicate with them in their own language, let alone see them whenever I liked. And when the time came, I didn’t make any of their funerals since I was living on opposite sides of the world.
There is a term which I think expresses perfectly what I am - "Third Culture Kid” (TCK), someone who has spent much of their childhood years outside of the parents’ culture, who absorbs elements from lots of different countries and has a sense of belonging to those who have had similar experiences. (See Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds by David Pollock and Rquuth Van Reken.)
I lived in India for five of my formative years and it has left quite an impression on me. Seeing drastic poverty, beggars and inhumane living conditions at the tender age of six left its mark and made the sacrifices I’d made (western food and running hot water) seem quite insignificant. India proved to be one of the most colourful backdrops for any childhood, full of chaos, colour, noise, chillies, monkeys, vibrancy, monsoons, elephants and smiles. India is a land of immense beauty and it saddens me to see how often it is portrayed negatively, as if it is nothing more than the slums of Calcutta or Mumbai.
Travel well and truly forced its way into my bloodstream and I have continued to incorporate this transient lifestyle into my adulthood. Since leaving home, I have lived as an expat in America, Canada, Thailand, India and New Zealand, being anything from a secretary to an orphanage volunteer. I have been to more than 42 countries (and counting) and never stayed anywhere for more than four years.
I am constantly seeking out new excuses and opportunities to live overseas. Having experienced such a colourful and varied childhood, I struggle to accept that life must be lived simply vegetating in one corner of the globe. Travel opens, challenges, and broadens mindsets and in that respect, Third Culture Kids are rich individuals indeed. I have gained an appreciation for other countries: their cultures, people, customs... what makes them unique. There is so much to see and be learned from other cultures, and for me, experience is the best form of education.
For me the grass always seems greener on the other side. I tend to glorify the future, cling to the past and have trouble ever really settling into the present. I let my mind wander to the vibrant, bold and warm when all that surrounds me is grey, dull and dreary.
I often get asked when I’ll “settle down and get a real job” but for me, the road is my home. London is currently where I reside but “home” is where my family are… it is anywhere and everywhere. I have grown accustomed to the adrenalin that flows with packing up one country in exchange for another, traversing from West to East and leaving for the excitement of the unknown.
I think deep down inside, we all know it will be the things we failed to do that will haunt us on our deathbeds and I intend to go with a smile on my face, thinking of the sun rising over the Himalayas, drinking tea with the Bedouins of Jordan, snorkelling in the Perhentian Islands, riding camels in the Sahara desert, seeing lightning storms over Mount Bromo in Indonesia, the invigoration of leaping from a boiling sauna into a freezing cold lake, walking The Great Wall of China and riding off from my wedding on an elephant's back into the Kerala night.
Heidi Sand-Hart's memoir, Home Keeps Moving, is available on amazon.co.uk, or can be ordered directly at homekeepsmoving@gmail.com.
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Amazon Reviews:
Insightful Read, | By | Mrs Jacobsen |
This review is from: Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)
Awesome book Heidi, congratulations. Once I picked it up I didn't want to put it down again. It was a brilliant account of your life so far and it really opened my eyes to the massive highs and lows of the life of a TCK. I really enjoyed that you added in other testimonials that shared their different takes on life. I think this book will offer understanding and comfort to those who are a TCK and for the people who are close to them, it's also a great read for anyone with an interest in travel and people. ***
Great book, great resource, great story!, | By | Lorena Smith (Dallas, Texas) |
This review is from: Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)
As an MK myself this is the book we all wished we had earlier. For everyone it's an excellent resource and most of all it's just a great story of an unusual life. It is an easy read, it flows easily and the prose is never overwhelming like some other "TCK" books are. Probably because the author is so personal it is easy to connect with and feel with her as she navigates these waters called the TCK life.
The book blends the authors and others stories effortlessly interspersed with excellent research with well documented sources.
I would reccomend this book to all TCK's, teachers who interact with these kids, families, spouses and missionary sending organizations as well as everyone who loves to travel - the travel and new culture anecdotes are in turn funny, touching and sad. I really enjoyed it.
***
Honest and interesting, | By | Peter Roxburgh(Dorset, UK) |
This review is from: Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)
Being an ATCK, although not to quite the same 'extreme' as Heidi, I could identify with much of what she wrote. I also had a couple of a 'aha' moments as well where I was able to understand a bit more about myself based on my TCK upbringing. It was good to have some other TCK's contributing their stories as well, which helps broaden the perspective and also give further anecdote to what Heidi had written.
Although I read the book through in one morning, as with Heidi's life, the book seems to chop and change quite a bit. So if you are looking for a book with a smooth flow and structure, you will possibly find it requires a bit more concentration.
That said, it covers a lot of ground and if you are a TCK, know a TCK then you should definitely pick this up as it will help bring out some discussions that will be beneficial to all.
***
Deeply moving--literally!, | By | Haru |
This review is from: Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)
Thank you, Heidi, on behalf of TCKs all over the world, for putting your extraordinary life experience to print. Calling all global readers: If you are at once unique and a citizen of the world, separate and yet united, or someone who has lived just one day outside your comfort zone, you will find Heidi, a person to whom you can relate...
***
“Thanks for the book, I enjoyed reading it immensely. Helped me to realise that, after spending my first 13 years wandering the globe with my Air Force parents, I am a type of TCK myself.” - Geoff Collet, Executive Director of Cambodia Action.
***
It helped me understand some close friends a little better,
This review is from: Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)
Having a few friends who have grown up as TCK's, this book was a great help to understand these friends of mine a little better. The book is also challenging narrowminded people who seem to fear cultures different than their own. It makes you wanna embrace the world in all it's diversity a bit more. Highly recommended. ***
A really good insight into the life of a TCCk,
This review is from: Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)
I read this book in one stretch the same day that I received it, it really is a page turner! Being myself a child of missionaries I found it interesting to read about Heidi's experience and her thoughts on the subject of Third Culture Kids, a label I had heard about before but never paid much thought to. I can especially recommend the book to any TCKs out there - I know there are lots of them! - who might be looking for a perspective on their own upbringing. One of the book's strengths is that Heidi is very candid in addressing both the ups and downs of her TCK experience and sharing very honestly from her life. I also thought the inclusion of testimonies from various other TCKs were useful in understanding the challenges of being a TCK.***
Fantastic!,
This review is from: Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)
Thank you, Heidi, for a wonderful, insightful, heartfelt book. I am so glad you took the time to write this. As a missionary in 'foreign' country, married to a ATCK (Adult Third Culture Kid), I found this book very helpful in processing not only some of my own experiences, but your book has also helped me understand my husband a little bit better. Thank you so much!***
really great read!,
This review is from: Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)
This is a great, down to earth and open hearted portrayal of being a "TCK". It's thoroughly enjoyable and absolutely full of moments that will make you smile in their familiarity throughout Heidi's unique story for anyone who considers themselves a Third Culture Kid themselves. Personally making everyone around me read it too, seems a great way to gain insight into the life of of any TCK you may know as well! Highly recommended it for anyone!***
Excellent book, highly recommended!,
This review is from: Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)
This book is exactly what it claims to be. It provides an excellent peek into the extraordinary life of an Adult Third Culture Kid (ATCK). Heidi tackles all the common TCK topics with honest insights from her life. Being an ATCK myself, I had many 'aha!' moments. Thanks Heidi for writing this! ***
OUTSTANDING BOOK!!!!,
This review is from: Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)
So glad I read this book. Although not a TCK I am married to one and we both recommend this book highly.Well written and highly insightful. Everyone needs to read this.
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